Local Nonprofits seeking millions for vital infrastructure upgrades

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — Nonprofit leaders in our community held a press conference Wednesday to call on lawmakers in Albany for infrastructure upgrades.

Hosted by the Southern Tier Independence Center with Support from Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, nonprofit leaders are asking Governor Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers to include a $100 million investment in the state budget.

The investment will help allocate funding for vital infrastructure improvements such as fixing a leaky roof, upgrading plumbing, removing mold, and much more.

Government agencies hire nonprofits to provide essential programs, but will rarely cover the full cost of the programming, which leads to major gaps in funding often difficult to fill.

Nonprofits provide services ranging from child care, homeless services, after school programming, supportive housing, job training, mental health services and much more to 2.5 million people across New York state.

“When things come up like your roof starts leaking, or your plumbing has to be replaces, or if someone needs to put an accessible bathroom in to make their place more accessible, and issues like that. There is no money for it.” said Maria Dibble, the executive director of the Southern Tier Independence Center.

Although there are gaps in the funding, there are some cases where nonprofits can apply for funding. The Southern Tier Independence Center benefited from a grant a few years ago to replace the entire roof of the building.